I received an itemized bill attached to my AT&T bill for 28 collect long distance calls from Phoenix, AZ to my home in Michigan. These charges totaled $687.13! The collect calls were bill through the billing service Zero Plus Dialing for Qwest Communication Corporation. I did not recognize the telephone number where the calls originated from. I called the number and heard a recording that this number did not accept incoming calls. I called the number on the bill for Zero Plus Dialing and representative advised that number was for a pay phone in a corrections facility but they did not retain the name of the facility and suggested I call Quest.
I played telephone tag with Ursala from Quest for a few days and then finally spoke with Ursala who informed me that the number belonged to a pay phone at Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix, AZ. I advised Ursala the my 17 year old niece had accepted the collect calls without my knowledge or permission from her 20 year old "ex-boyfriend" in jail and that this man had a statutory rape charge filed against him regarding my neice in addition to the home invasion charge he was incarcerated for. I asked for cancellation of the charges since a minor had accepted collect charges without my permission and this minor was victim of the criminal that was made the calls. Ursula advised the Quest considered any child age 10 or older mature enough to accept collect long distance charges and that Quest had no legal, moral or ethical repsonsibilty to monitor the pay phone in the corrections facility that they were profiting from.
When I asked Ursala if a pedophile could contact any minor using this pay phone, Ursala again repeated that Qwest had no legal, ethical or moral responsiblity to monitor the pay phone that they profited from in a corrections facility. Ursala was unsympathetic and sounded like she thought I was wasting her time. I strongly believe that Qwest is an immoral and unethical company to gouge innocent consumers and families of the vulnerable prison population who are undoubtedly the poorest segment on our national population. Qwest's business practices are nauseatingly unethical and immoral and consumers should not support this sleazy company by giving them their business.
0 comments